In a first, over 6 lakh Olive Ridley turtles lay eggs on Odisha beach

This year, Rushikulya shore in Odisha's Ganjam district has seen a record-breaking 6.37 lakh Olive Ridley sea turtles arrive for mass nesting, breaking the previous record of 5.5 lakh.

As per Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer Sunny Khokkar who spoke to the Hindu, the development of new beaches for egg-laying close to the Podampetta region was the reason behind the arrival of 6.37 lakh turtles from February 23 to March 2, which is considered the peak nesting time.

Khokkar said, this year, the beaches remained unaffected as there were no extreme weather events such as cyclones and heavy rain and turtles ascended perfectly sloped beaches at the Rushikulya river mouth. Last year, 5.5 lakh Olive Ridley turtles had come to Rushikulya for mass nesting.

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“The actual number of Olive Ridleys coming to Rushikulya river mouth would go up as turtles keep coming to the coast after March 2. We are currently counting the number of turtles received during sporadic nesting witnessed after March 2,” he said. The forest division has stepped up its supervision to prevent turtle mortality by deploying forest officials.

How does an Olive Ridley lay eggs?

Olive Ridley turtles spend hours at a stretch digging burrows in the sand with their front flippers. They then sweep sand out of the hollow using their hind flippers to form a cavity. A large number of eggs are laid at once, and they are then again covered with sand. The turtles lay their eggs, which would hatch after 40–60 days, and then depart for the sea just before daybreak. In the months of April and May, the hatchlings are anticipated to break the surface of the eggs.

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Turtles also arrive at Gahirmatha beach in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, also known as the world’s largest known rookery. Besides, Puri and Devi river mouth beaches too host Olive Ridley turtles around time around.

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“This year, we propose to tag 3,200 turtles. It is heartening to note that 150 Olive Ridley turtles which were tagged have returned to lay eggs on beaches of Odisha this year,” ZSI scientist Anil Mohapatra told The Hindu.

Mohapatra said two turtles tagged in Odisha were located in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. The ZSI has aimed to tag over 30,000 over a period of 10 years. The ZSI study focuses on how frequently turtles return to the beaches in Odisha for mass nesting as well as the many factors that influence turtle activity.

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